Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military on Friday launched what’s been called the largest aerial attack of the Ukraine war, and one economic-focused Ukrainian outlet estimated the cost of the assault for Russia to be at least $1.273 billion.
The figure was calculated by Ekonomichna Pravda (Economic Truth), which tallied the prices of the drones and missiles the Ukrainian Air Force reported Russia used during the massive assault.
The Associated Press (AP), citing Ukrainian officials, said at least 30 civilians were killed in the strikes that took place across the country—including on the capital Kyiv—and at least 144 people were wounded. The AP reported Russia used 122 missiles and dozens of drones in what was a bombardment that lasted around 18 hours. Officials said a maternity hospital, schools and residential apartments were among the structures damaged.
All lives are priceless but… if you take a heartless financial look at this, $1.2 billion dollars for the lives of 30 civilians and a few civilian buildings is a horrible return on investment.
Just because they’re the good guys doesn’t mean they never do propaganda. They probably under-report military damage, as this might inform the enemy of their weaknesses. On the other hand, they talk a lot about civilian casualties, as this allows them to attract the world’s sympathy.